Cable connector assemblage



April 25, 1967 Filed March 19, 1965 WITNESSES:

INVENTOR Andre Pastor United States Patent Pennsylvania Filed Mar. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 441,140 1 Claim. (Cl. 339-89) The present invention relates to a cable connector assemblage, and more particularly to such assemblage as is useful in high voltage cable in X-ray apparatus.

The end of such as a flexible high voltage cable in X-ray apparatus employs a rigid electrical connector plug which is electrically connected and secured to such end for plug-in electrical connection to an electrical socket in the housing of such as an X-ray tubehead, high voltage transformer, etc. The connector plug heretofore has been locked in place in extension into the socket, and the cable end connected to such plug thereby also so locked, by an assemblage including a rigid flange at the cablejunction end of the electrical connector plug, and male and female threaded locking members affiliated with the plug and socket, respectively, and cooperable to clamp such flange in place. Much in the manner of flanged copper tubing fittings, such male locking member is slid over the cable end before such end is mechanically and electrically joined to the end of the electrical cable. When assembled, the female fitting member associated with the socket and with the component-housing, encircles and extends over the connector plugs flange and the male locking member has a threaded portion in screwthreaded engagement with such female locking member.

As heretofore construct-ed, the male locking member, including a cable-end-covering extension and its threaded portion, have been of one-piece construction and when assembled over a cable end which has been secured and connected to the flanged connector plug, results in a diametral dimension which cannot be threaded through certain standard sized electrical conduits at a given hospital locale. Whereas it is desirable that the connecting and securing of the cable end to the connector plug be done in an assembly shop rather than in the field during equipment installation, it becomes a prime object of the present invention to provide a cable-end guard and male connector plug locking member which is compatible with the female locking members afliliated with the componenthousings and which readily facilitates reduction in the diameter of a pre-connected cable-and-plug assemblage, to afford threadability through smaller diameter electrical conduits than possible heretofore in the presence of prior art type male connector plug locking members.

The above object, in general, is realized in the present invention by provision of a cable-end-guard-and-connector-plug male locking assemblage which includes a threaded connector element portion having an inner diameter which enables it to he slid over the connector plugs flange, and a cable-end-encircling sleeve element portion having an outside diameter substantially no greater than the outside diameter of the connector plugs flange, and removable retaining means securing the threaded connector element to the sleeve element.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description thereof when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic representation, partially in outline and partially in section, showing an illustrative embodiment of the invention as comprising a cable-end guard and connector plug lock member as assembled in afliliation with the wall of a housing for electrical components; and

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an exemplified form "ice of the novel male locking member and cable end protector of the present invention in atliliation with a preconnected flanged connector plug and cable end.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a typical connector plug 5 (shown in outline) is formed predominately of moldedplastic, rigid, electrical insulating material including an integral flange 6 at one end thereof and three electrical conductors 7, 8 and 9 extending longitudinally therethrough from electrical juncture at its flanged end with respective leads 10, 11 and 12 of a flexible high voltage cable 14, to plug-in terminals 15, 16 and 17 projecting from its unflanged end.

In accord with the illustrative embodiment of the invention for securing the flanged end of the connector plug 5 to a female fitting or locking member 19 afliliated with a housing wall 20 and an electrical socket 21, and to protect the plug-connected end of the cable 14, there is provided a male fitting or locking assemblage 18 comprising a tapered hollow sleeve element 22 which includes a small-diameter end for sliding fit with the outer surface of the flexible cable 14 and a large-diameter end for abutting engagement with one face of the connector plug flange 6. In accord with an essential feature of the invention, the sleeve element 22 has an outer diameter at its larger-sized end which is substantially no greater than the outer diameter of the connector plug flange 6. Sleeve element 22 is slid over the end of the cable 14 before the leads 11, 12 and 13 are connected to the ends of the conductors 7, 8 and 9 and the end of the cable is bonded to the flanged end of connector plug 5, as by suitable plastic bonding material 25, to bond the resilient insulating material 26 of the flexible cable 14 to the flanged end of the plastic connector plug 5.

To hold the large-diameter end of the sleeve element 22 in abutting engagement with the one face of the plugs flange 6, the male locking member of the illustrative embodiment of the present invention includes a removable ring-shaped threaded element 28 and a pair of segmental elements 30 and 31 which cooperate to form a removable retaining means in the form of a split flat retainer ring which fits into a groove 33 in the outer periphery of the large-diameter end of the sleeve and is removably secured to a rear end of the threaded element 28 by means of machine screws 35.

Per another essential feature of the invention, the inner diameter of the ring-shaped threaded element 28 is greater than the outer diameter of the plugs flange 6 so that by removing the screws 35, the element 28 may be freed from the sleeve 22 and slipped over such flange and over the end of the plug 5, While the divided elements 30 and 31 of the split fiat retainer ring will drop out of the groove 33 to permit the assemblage to have an outer diameter substantially no greater than that of the flange 6 of the plug 5, and thereby facilitate passage of such reduced-diameter assemblage to be slid through an electrical conduit having an inner diameter at least only slightly greater than such flange diameter.

In accord with added preferred features of the invention, the threaded portion 38 of the removable ringshaped threaded element 28 is constructed and arranged to be compatible for screw-threaded fit into a prior-art type of female fitting or locking member 19, FIGURE 1, which is afliliated with the component-housing wall 20 and includes an annular shoulder 39 for clamping en gagement with a flange 40 of an electrical socket 41 which receives the plug-in terminals 15, 16 and 17 of the plug 5 when inserted thereinto. Member 19 is retained in place in projection into the opening 42 in wall 20 by a locking ring 43 screwed onto an outer surface of the inwardly projecting portion of such member and seats against the inner surface of such Wall. A threaded locking ring 44 in the interior threaded portion of member 19 retains the flange 40 of socket 41 seated on the shoulder 39.

While there has been shown and described herein one illustrative embodiment of the invention, it is the intent to cover in the appended claim all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

A cable connector assemblage, comprising a flexible cable having an electrical connector plug at one end thereof with a radially-extending shoulder flange on the,

cable-extension end of such plug of greater diameter than that of said cable; a sleeve element encircling the cable end, said sleeve element having an end for abutment with a face of the flange of said connector plug, and being of suchsize as to be substantially no greater than the diameter of such flange, and having an annular groove in its outer periphery; a removable ring-like threaded element for threaded connection to a complementary connector element affiliated with a socket for said connector plug, said ring-like threaded element having an inner overall diameter greater than the outer diameter of the flange of said plug to permit it to pass thereover; a multi-part retaining ring which nests in such groove; and machine screws separately securing the parts of said retaining ring to a rear portion of said ring-like element.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,870,274 9/1932 Wulfert et a1 339-426 X 2,275,762 3/1942 Horton 339-89 X 2,322,562 6/1943 Blanchard 285415 X EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner.

W. D, MILLER, Examiner. 

